When in Disgrace
by RedBear5
Summary: Lucius has hit bottom. He has been released from Azkaban as bait to capture former Death Eaters. But not everything is black and white; the good guys are overwhelmed with cleanup from the war. People just want peace, happiness or sometimes revenge.  LMHG
1. Chapter 1 Outcast

When in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state,  
>And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, And look upon myself and curse my fate,<p>

Shakespeare sonnet 29

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><p>Lucius was a mess. Never had a Malfoy been seen in worse general shape, at least, never in recorded history. It wasn't the dust on his robes, the tangled hair or growth of beard that screamed something was dreadfully wrong. It was his empty eyes, showing no spark of humanity, no spark of life, no spark of awareness beyond his own skull.<p>

Azkaban was survivable; he'd been there before. The physical trauma of incarceration forced a focus on daily survival that precluded thoughts beyond endurance. Dementors surrounding the prison drained all happy memories, leaving only darkest experiences available. The fault of using Dementors is that without memories of light, of happier times with loved ones, the dark had no contrast. It lost its bite.

His prideful pace was forced with the finality of a doomed prisoner mounting the steps to the guillotine. Death would be a succour; unfortunately death wasn't to be his fate. Life was.

As he exited Azkaban, the onerous burden of his responsibility in his family's destruction was contrasted against the crushing weight of happy memories returning. He faltered.

He was dragged the last few feet to the apparition point. He was jostled into position for side-along, before arriving outside the gates of his manor. He was force marched to his front door, where his escort pounded on the blackened oak to announce his arrival.

The door retreated, leaving his sun dazzled eyes to focus on his new warden Colin Dervish. Beside him in Auror robes stood his apprentice Hermione Granger.

Lucius had joined the Dark Lord as a source of power. Malfoy's had for century's ensured favourable family alliances that allowed Lucius the ability to play backroom politics with the talent of a virtuoso. After the first wizard war, Lucius, a proven Death Eater of high rank, was released with a fine equivalent to a slap on the wrist.

During the build up to the final battle of the second war, Lucius was left wandless, to serve as reluctant host to the Dark Lord and his headquarters. His family was mocked in their own home, while he attempted to retain enough favour to ensure their survival. Voldemort was unable to injure the headmaster himself, but set his son Draco the impossible task of killing Dumbledore. Draco's failure was to be the excuse to torture and kill his heir, as punishment for Lucius's failure to retrieve the prophesy.

The threat to his heir was Lucius's turning point. Any vestige of real loyalty to the Dark Lord's cause vanished, as the primal requirement to ensure a lasting genetic legacy overrode sworn allegiance. For all his intelligence, Lucius couldn't see a way to change sides without exposing his family to additional risk. Any information he was able to provide would only be useful if Voldemort lost. Putting hope for Voldemort's death on the fragile shoulders of a teenager was a leap of faith he couldn't do. Too many others had failed.

His family was able to help in little ways. Draco covered for the golden trio during their capture, and Narcissa protected Potter in the forest. These covert actions ensured defensive legal strategies during trial after the Light won.

With the sworn testimony of the golden trio, his wife Narcissa and son Draco had been released. Both had returned to the Malfoy estate on probation, only to be murdered by former Death Eaters during his incarceration. Darker rumours hinted that Ministry protection was extended only to capture new inmates. Parolees were bait, not protectees. Ministry 'protection' was useless.

"Lucius Malfoy, you are turned over into the custody of Aurors Colin Dervish and Hermione Granger. Your conditions of parole are no use of magic, no visitors allowed, and confinement to Malfoy manor. All communication to outside parties will only be through your court appointed lawyer. Aurors from the ministry have unrestricted access into this house. Any parole violations will result in an automatic re-incarceration in Azkaban, without further trial."

He looked at them and spat "I understand I have your brilliant 'protection' to thank for the deaths of my wife and son."

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><p>Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. All characters belong to JK Rowling; their abuse in this plot bunny is entirely my fault.<p>

Ch1 A/N

I wanted to explore the character of Lucius more. As he is not the primary focus of the HP books, his reactions to the war is never explored.

This is my first fanfic. I currently have no beta, would love volunteers.

Please review. I adore feedback.


	2. Chapter 2 Bootless Cries

Ch 2 A/N

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. All characters belong to JK Rowling; their abuse in this plot bunny is entirely my fault.

I'm not sure what the posting schedule will be like, but I've plotted out the story generally to about 30 plot chapters; some extra for fluff? I don't like to post without siting on a chapter, for next day edits. Do I need more Hermione?

Please review. I adore feedback. Tell me what you don't like, what you want more of.

Ch2

"Perhaps we should move this conversation into a more comfortable location. It may take a while." Colin Dervish said calmly. He moved the group into the drawing room, quickly dismissing the prison escort.

Hermione was fuming. First there was the stupid new law that required all school graduates to serve a year as an Auror, regardless of aptitude, skill or desire. Then there was her boss's twisted sense of humour in sending her to babysit Lucius Malfoy, in Malfoy manor. His attitude was going to be worse than Draco ever was. Joy.

"Tell me why my family is dead." Lucius demanded.

"They were both cursed with 'Infinitus sitis', otherwise known as infinite thirst." Colin began.

Lucius snorted.

"After the trials, both Mrs. Malfoy and your son were moved to this location. Since it was Voldemort's headquarters for so long, we figured it needed to be secured by the ministry, and all dark objects removed. Both were providing information to assist in the clean-up."

"How did you allow this to happen?" Lucius snapped.

Colin sighed "We're not sure when the curses were applied. Without knowing when, the how is harder to figure out."

"In other words, you don't have a clue." Lucius growled.

Hermione rolled her eyes. The ministry hadn't even suspected a curse until they had two bodies to deal with. Even then, they were hard to convince. It took her slapping the book of curses from the 13th century on her boss's desk and threatening to talk to Luna at the Quibbler before they opened a file on the deaths.

"We're investigating." Colin retorted.

"What happens under this curse?" Lucius demanded.

"Draco was speaking to us in the library. He started experiencing the symptoms of headache, fatigue, and visual snow. We took him back to your wife, where it was discovered she was already dead. During the ensuing chaos, Draco slipped into a coma and died." Colin said. "I'm sorry. We didn't know they were cursed until it was too late."

"If you could excuse me a moment." Lucius moved towards the guest bathroom. He made it inside the door, before bending over the sink, gripping the counter for support as he retched. After a few minutes of dry heaving, he collapsed to his knees, burying his face in his hands. Tears escaped his eyes as he let out a single choked sob, cut short as he strangled the sound. He staggered to his feet, looking in the mirror. Slowly he pieced together the cracks in his façade. Carefully he wiped away evidence of his grief. His face remained unnaturally pale. Hopefully it would be attributed to his time in Azkaban rather than shock. He drew himself up to his full height, squared his shoulders, and went out to confront his jailers.

Colin and Hermione were waiting for him. Colin started "Lucius, since you have been in prison, there have been a number of changes at Malfoy manor. Many of the rooms are still sealed pending Ministry clearance for dark magic. With the demands on the Auror department, it could be years before this occurs. The priority is to capture death eaters still at large, and deal with current threats. As such, you will be sleeping here in the east wing, with Aurors on either side of your rooms."

Hermione continued "For meal times, you are expected to appear in the dining room at 8:00, 12:00 and 6:00. Tea is held in the library at 3:00. Access to the library is only under Auror supervision. All reading materials must be cleared prior to use. Any questions?"

Lucius mutely shook his head. He was returned home, but still he was not master of his house. Memories of unspoken insults given by Voldemort as he usurped Lucius's position, taking everything from the master bedroom to his place at head of the table flickered before his eyes. It seemed that the ministry wanted to continue that precedent.

"Hermione will escort you to dinner after you've had a chance to clean up." Colin stated.

He glanced around his new bedroom. It was one of the many guest rooms in this wing of the house. This one was decorated in mint green, with cherry wood furnishings. His closet had some of his older robes, and the bathroom had the standard guest supplies. He moved into the bathroom gratefully, dropping his robes to the floor as he headed for the shower. He sighed as hot water sluiced over his body, taking with it the dark grime of prison life. His tired muscles began to ease under the rhythmically pounding fluid. It was tempting to stay here forever.

He exited the shower, wrapping his damp towel around his waist, as he continued his absolutions. A sharp knock sounded at the door.

"Yes?" Lucius responded.

"Mr. Malfoy, dinner is about to be served. You need to hurry up in there." Hermione called through the door.

Lucius opened the bathroom door. He sneered "Is my dinner going to disappear?"

"No, but it won't be warm anymore either. Perhaps you've forgotten that the elves now serve the ministry, not you." Hermione replied.

Lucius glared at her. Some of the elfish families had served the Malfoy's for centuries. He crossed to the closet, selecting an informal outfit. He dropped his towel wrapped around his waist to the carpet. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hermione flush beet red, before adverting her eyes. 'Interesting.' he thought. He wasn't sure how he could use that hint to his advantage yet.

Hermione was startled. Rooming with a bunch of girls at Hogwarts ensured she got over the worse of her nudity taboos. Living with Harry and Ron for a year made her comfortable with the male form. But even before her aborted relationship with Ron ended, they never were casual about displaying their bodies. Either privacy was automatically extended, or lack of clothing was a prelude to sex. Her face flushed as her mind immediately wondered what Lucius would be like. She forced her mind back to reviewing potion recipes.

Dinner was a tense affair. Colin took the head of the table, between Hermione and Lucius.

Lucius glanced to the middle of the table. He remembered sitting between Narcissa and Draco during Death Eater meetings. Voldemort loved enforcing his dominance by punishing people as dinner entertainment, before feeding his snake. To most pure bloods, not having a proper burial was equivalent to breaking the line of genetic succession. Not having a body to bury was a public disgrace. Becoming dinner to a snake rubbed in the insult. Deaths on his table would be remembered for generations.

That night he lay under the covers, endlessly reviewing every happy memory brought back since walking out of Azkaban. His wedding, as Narcissa walked down the aisle. Being told he would be a father. His first moments holding his son. Draco's first tentative baby steps. Showing Draco how to control his first toy broom. They flooded his brain, leaving him helpless witness to a thousand pictures flickering before his eyes. Somewhere in the storm, he was sucked down into sleep, to toss and turn in the crashing waves of memory. He cried out as visions of his errors, his mistakes, juxtaposed themselves to idyllic scenes of happiness, with the pounding thought 'I failed them' drumming against them all. He awoke, drenched in sweat, sheets tangled in his limbs, the thoughts of failure echoing in his mind. He failed them in life. He would make sure their death was avenged. He would return the Malfoy name.


	3. Chapter 3 Finding Limits

Ch 3 A/N

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. All characters belong to JK Rowling; their abuse in this plot bunny is entirely my fault.

Argh. I've been travelling, and I've been sick. Neither has helped my inspiration before my computer rebooted without saving my plot notes. Good thing I still have my voice memos…too bad they're incomplete.

Please review. I adore feedback.

-bouncing- I've had my first feedbacks! Yeah! Thank you Seeing-is-believing and Smithback.

Seeing-is-believing – I love that you included both what you liked, and what you didn't. I won't take offense; this is my first fanfic! I'd be unhappy if people didn't find areas of improvement.

Ch 3 Finding Limits

The morning sun shone brightly into Lucius's room. He awoke with a groan, raising his arm to protect his eyes from the glare. His entire body ached from the disturbed sleep of the night before. He forced his thoughts away from reliving his nightmares, into reviewing what information he had.

He knew the symptoms of the curse.

His access to information was going to be supervised and restricted. He had the library, and his court appointed criminal lawyer. He had two Aurors living with him who had access to additional information on the investigation. They also were the ones determining most of the restrictions in the house; the Wizongot would have laid down only general guidelines. He would need to charm at least one of them; both was better.

The court appointed lawyer was a problem. They didn't have the same incentive to assist Lucius as his previous lawyers did. Malfoy family and its businesses retained lawyers on staff. Maybe he could have the business or estate lawyers supply additional information? He needed to know the state of his finances. If he couldn't run his investments from here, he needed to appoint people to do so, and needed to arrange that paperwork through lawyers. He needed the definition of people he had access to, to be all lawyers.

He needed to know:

Who had motive and opportunity to attack his family?

What steps were open to him to protect himself and what were his resources available for revenge?

What parts of his house had been cleared, what had been sealed, what had been seized, and what was likely to be seized?

Who was in power, what positions did they hold, and what were their alliances and relationships?

What was the state of his former allies and enemies?

What blackmail secrets were known, and by whom?

What the current ministry public spin was on actions being taken?

What actions had been taken, what was their support, with whom, and what were the next predictable steps?

His first priority than, would be to establish the boundaries. He nodded to himself. He got up, and headed to breakfast.

"Good morning." He greeted the two Aurors in the dining room. Hermione scowled, before blanking annoyance from her face. Colin glanced up to return the greeting from his habitual newspaper read during his morning caffeine jolt.

Lucius sat to enjoy his breakfast tea and pancakes. "You mentioned yesterday that various parts of the manor have been sealed by the ministry. Might I get a tour after breakfast?"

"Sure. Hermione can show you around, won't you?"

Hermione winced. She knew she was junior to Colin, but she really didn't enjoy spending time with Lucius. "Of course. Wouldn't want you to wander where you're not wanted."

Lucius raised his brow. 'Typical Gryffindor; no subtlety to them.' He ate another bite of pancakes to keep from replying as he desired. "Of course. Tell me Colin, is there anything of interest in the Prophet today?"

"No."

"May I read the paper when you're through?" he inquired.

"I don't see why not. It's mostly garbage as always." Colin replied, setting the finished paper within reach.

XXX

"As you can see, the family portraits have been covered with a silencing cloth. It's a trick we picked up from the Black residence. It's made for a much quieter place." She led an appalled Lucius through rooms stripped not only of dark objects, but of portable wealth. Candlesticks, vases, paintings, rugs and furniture were obvious in their absence, as sun bleached outlines of the purloined antiques gave testimony to their expected presence on furniture and walls.

Hermione stole a sideways glance at the man calculating the pillage of his home. His hands clenched into fists as he entered each new room, before he forced them to relax. His face remained a stony mask, showing none of the anger exhibited in the tense lines of his body. She ran her eyes over his form, his black robes disguising most of his reaction. The cut of the robe suggested power and strength, but concealed the body underneath. 'How very Slytherin.'

"Any room sealed by the Ministry glows red in warning when you approach. It will sting anyone attempting to breach the seals. Any room being worked on will glow yellow. Normally only one approach is opened when clearing a room." Lucius strode to the back window overlooking the rose garden. He leaned on the window seat surround. He inwardly smirked as it didn't change colour. 'At least some of the secret passageways remain undiscovered.'

The Malfoy manor had been stamped with the paranoia of each succeeding generation over a thousand years. It survived raids from neighbouring warlords, foreign invasions of Vikings and witch hunts of the inquisition. As the Malfoy patriarch, he knew many of the secrets, but as many had been lost in time. Scrolls hidden in his office documented changes made over the centuries, but new caches were established each time the secret keeper died before passing the records location to the Malfoy heir. The Ministry would never uncover all the skeletons in this house. The house protected the family.

The east wing, working rooms (kitchen, pantry, laundry etc.), private family rooms (library, study, family room) and the dining room were open. Everything else was sealed. 'I have access to barely a quarter of my house.'

She ended the tour at the library. It was her favourite place in the manor. Double storied, it had rolling ladder on each wall to access the higher books. The center of the room was occupied with a glowing fireplace, flanked by two dragon hide couches. Working tables were setup on the left, while a U shaped standing desk allowed easy access to reference multiple books on the right.

Hermione loved the U shaped desk. It currently was filled with her research on the 'Infinitus sitis' curse. During the day she worked on clearing books but in the evening, she focused on investigating the curse. Draco may not have been a friend of hers, but nobody should have to die like he did.

When her boss had convinced her to stay in this place, the carrot was that she got to clear the library. Most of the dark arts books were still present; in fact, the section had grown. Books from other residences were diverted here directly; there was no space for even temporary storage at the Ministry anymore. When she finished here, she could be the foremost expert on dark magic books in Britain.

Lucius strolled around his former nightly refuge. Rather than being stripped bare, his library seemed to hold its entire contents. He raised his eyebrow to Hermione "This room has been cleared?"

"Yes, of immediate threats. I'm of clearing all the books, but that will take a while. That's why I need to clear things before you read them." She motioned to the table setup for clearing.

Lucius asked "Do you have back copies of the Daily Prophet?"

"During my training, they weren't kept. I noticed that you keep copies when I arrived here last week, so I've been putting them over here."

Lucius thanked her, then settled at a vacant table to make notes. They worked in silence, only breaking for lunch.


	4. Chapter 4 Tea Time

Ch 3 A/N

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. All characters belong to JK Rowling; their abuse in this plot bunny is entirely my fault.

Yes, there are deliberate grammar errors in the text where characters are speaking; very few people always speak with grammatical perfection.

Please review. I adore feedback.

Ch 4 Tea Time

At tea time, the doors were flung open with a flourish, as Harry and Ron strode through the doors.

"Hermione, imagine finding you in a library! We've come to join you for tea."

Hermione grinned, then embraced both males. "Harry, Ron, what's new?" She led them to the couches in front of the fire, where tea appeared in front of them.

Lucius rose at the interruption. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley."

Harry looked at him in surprise "Mr. Malfoy". Ron just scowled and poured himself a tea.

Lucius collected his tea and scones, retreating back to his table. He pretended to be absorbed in his reading, as he listened to the trio's conversation.

Harry started "We nearly had our hands on McNair this morning. Slippery fellow, he escaped after he caused a car accident in London."

"Ya, it took 30 minutes to clear up the mess." Ron said around his scone.

"Sorry to hear that. How did you find him?"

"We traced him from the purchase of an amulet." He pulled it out of his pocket. "Here's the thing…" Harry shot a glance to Lucius, and dropped his voice to a whisper. "I remember this amulet. I found it a month ago during the seizure at Lestrange's. It has a nick on it right here." He pointed to the nick. "I remember cutting myself on it. It didn't heal for two weeks, and bugged me every time it got wet. Hermione…" "It's supposed to be in Ministry hands. I think someone is selling off the dark objects we're seizing."

"Have you seen other things then?" she asked.

"I've suspected something fishy is going on, but have no proof. I went back to check the seizure records, and this wasn't listed." Harry told her.

"What are we going to do?" Ron questioned.

Harry continued "With the new law, there's a lot more Aurors. I don't know where to start. It's got to be an inside job if the records are getting altered."

"It's the stupidest law I've seen. Let's force every student to learn how Aurors capture criminals, including an existing criminal element. Once criminals are fully trained, let's leave them to a life of crime." Hermione ranted.

She drew a deep breath. "First, copy the muggle police. Keep your own records of everything you do, hand in a copy. We can do comparisons later. " She thought "Next, tell Kingsley, and the rest of the Order. It's more than one person stealing things. There's the fence"

"What's a fence got to do with it?" Ron looked confused.

"A fence is a person who sells stolen goods Ron." Harry said.

"And then there's the buyers. They're likely Death Eaters you want to grab in the first place." She shrugged. "Maybe you can watch the fence and find everyone." She took a sip of tea. "Ok, enough business. How are the girls?"

"Lavender is doing fine. She keeps sending me for ice cream in the middle of the night." Ron grinned.

Hermione rolled her eyes "They're called cravings Ron. They happen when you're pregnant."

"Ya, I know. Next week we're going to have the first photos in utero done. I can't wait to see the little tyke."

Harry winced "Ginny sends her love. She won't be able to get here until the weekend. Last time I looked at her, she was drowning in paperwork. Literally."

"At least she's not in the field Harry."

"Thank Merlin for that. It was bad enough during the last battle." He shuttered. "Molly's expecting you at the Burrow for supper soon Hermione."

Hermione sighed "We'll see. With Mr. Malfoy now in residence, it's going to be harder for me to get away."

"Oh well. Anyways, we should get back to the office, before someone notices we're gone." Harry rose and gave Hermione another hug. Ron grabbed another scone, thru a quick hug around her before both were heading for the fireplace. "Bye Hermione. See you soon."

Lucius pondered the new information. If thefts from Ministry seizures were ending up on the black market, it made more sense why his manor had been plundered so badly. Fences would soon have problems moving merchandise locally; too many of the old buyers would be dead, on the run, in Azkaban, or saving money for bribes. The antique, jewel and collectable markets would be badly hit, and prices would plummet. Most established fences would avoid buying anything stamped with the Malfoy seal as long as he was alive. Malfoys had a tendency to retaliate against anyone enabling criminal activity against them.

Damn it. He needed to see his estate lawyers, and have them start buying out the local market using the Malfoy trust funds. They could ship the less valuable stuff overseas for profit. Some things would need to be retained for future alliances and bribes from the families they were taken from. Any of his family heirlooms would need to be recovered, and the fences punished dramatically, sending a message. Without a market, the appeal of plundering his home should soon be contained to taking dark objects only.


	5. Chapter 5 Wandering

Ch 5 A/N

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. All characters belong to JK Rowling; their abuse in this plot bunny is entirely my fault.

Please review. I adore feedback.

I've figured out how long it takes to write. About 200 words/hour. Maybe with practise I'll be quicker.

I'm having issues on how to bring in the Lucius/Hermione relationship. I really don't want either OOC, so this relationship is taking longer than I'd like to bring to fruition.

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><p>Another night, tossing in the swells of dreams. Shaken, he rubbed his salt encrusted eyes and blinked into the darkness. Sighing, he dragged his body from the cold comfort of his bed before redressing in yesterday's clothes. Candle glow illuminated the hidden latch to the secret corridors by the window. He started a nightly discipline of exploring his house for tools of revenge and information.<p>

His first stop was Colin, whose rising chest attested that this log shaped lump was asleep under the covers. There was nothing of interest hidden in his room, other than the foe glass showing shadowy figures in the depths.

Hermione's room was cluttered with mundane trivia. There were photos of her friends clustered on the dresser. A pile of clothes on the chair attested to her expanding wardrobe choices and the daily decisions it enforced. Stacks of books teetered along the walls, and beside the bed. Half of the queen sized bed was covered in a selection of more books, muggle notebooks and pens. Hermione was curled into a fetal position, right hand clutching a pen leaking black ink into the duvet. Her hair blanketed her shoulders in a fluffy haze. She was muttering in her sleep.

Lucius leaned forward to listen. "Ron, it's not like that!" "Fine, leave me alone again." Lucius retreated.

An hour later Lucius felt his skin prickle as the house wards were breached. He listened, but heard no approaching footsteps, no sounds of his jailers. Instead there was a sliding pace, harsh breathing and a whisper of cloth passing by his position. He slipped in behind them.

He watched this intruder quickly remove the ministry wards on his dish room. This room secured the family's common use silverware and china collections. They ranged from the family set of 6 in goblin etched silver to the 50 person 7 course dinner set for formal dining in dragon bone china. The thief began to work on breaking the Malfoy wards with ease of long practise.

Lucius paused by the games room to grabbed a box labeled 'Jacks'. He slipped the caltrops enchanted to resemble the child's game jacks into his pocket. He liberated a long bladed dagger from his ancestor Gaius Malfoy's armour. He scattered the caltrops across the exits to the room, careful not to touch any with his hands.

The thief now had a bag on the ground, and was attempting to shrink the goblinware for transport. Lucius cleared his throat. "I don't believe you want to continue trying that." Lucius looked down into the startled eyes of Mundungus Fletcher, quickly growing wide with fear.

"I was just, that is I mean to say that…" Mundungus shuffled his feet.

"You were attempting to rob me of my ill-gotten gains?" Lucius purred.

"Well now, I wouldn't say that exactly…" he muttered. His eyes darted around the room seeking escape.

"What would you say exactly? That you were providing a service?" sarcasm flavouring his tone.

"You could say that." He attempted to add defiance to his gaze. "I have my clients."

"So if I called the Aurors, they would agree with your activities?" The sarcastic bite was stronger now. "And you clients would approve your methods? They would agree to support you during the publicity of an investigation?"

"What do you want? In exchange for not involving ministry?" he pleaded.

"How about you provide me with information…"

Hours later Lucius stumbled through the secret ways in time to see sunlight kiss the sky.

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><p>Lucius settled with his tea onto the couch opposite Hermione. His silver gaze watched her over the rim of his cup. "I believe Draco once informed me that you were previously inseparable from both Mr. Ron Weasley and Mr. Harry Potter. I haven't seen you leave, and you've had only one visit from them. Is there nobody else? How is it that you don't have a man dancing in constant attendance?"<p>

"Ron has married Lavender Brown, and Harry is engaged to Ginny Weasley." Hermione replied shortly. She watched him warily. This was the first time he spoke of his son talking about them. She'd just bet some of the stories Draco told, and how they were 'flavoured'. She mentally shook herself.

"No paramours for yourself?" he inquired.

A flash of memory, his naked body damp from the shower. She blushed. "None that I'd consent to. Most are after a slice of fame, a bunch more my body. The fact that they're attached to a mind never occurs to the idiots." Hermione rolled her eyes in frustration.

Lucius regarded her closely. "Well then, I'm interested. How have you been weeding them out?"

She snorted "Simple; unsolicited invites are sent to File 13."

"File 13?" Lucius was puzzled.

"File 13. The garbage can."

Lucius eyebrows rose. "Ouch. How then would you like interest for you expressed? Flowers, jewels, chocolates or maybe…" he quirked his eyebrow up and smirked "books?"

She laughed. "It appears you have found my weakness. You have an impressive collection here. So many are rare volumes." She glanced around the room.

He paused to sip his tea before remarking "Something I have to thank my ancestors for. Very little is my own contribution I'm afraid."

He set down his tea before he smirked "So a key to my library would work for you?"

Her eyes lit up and she flashed a grin at him. "You forget, I already have one." Wow. Did Lucius really have a sense of humour? She relaxed. It was refreshing to exchange parries with such a sharp mind.

"Indeed." He chuckled. "So what does that leave for your poor suitors? What if they have no library key to offer you?"

She snorted. "First they'd have to show they had a brain."

"So, a copy of their NEWT scores then?" he deadpanned.

She laughed. "That's pretty corny. Sort of screams 'I have no idea how to behave around females'."

"Ah, so you're after brains and a male who understands females? You are aware that no such creature exists right? No male has ever understood the workings of the female brain." He shook his head in mock pity. His teacup paused by his lips as if struck by a sudden thought. He looked at her, running his gaze over her body, frowning "Unless you prefer females?" She really did have a nice figure. It was settling into the adult hourglass curves of a woman, with long toned legs, perky breasts and lush lips. Her eyes still retained the innocence of youth.

She choked. "Ah, no, I'm looking for a male. Hopefully one that has a brain, has a clue what's going on around him, and eats with his mouth closed."

"Brains and table manners? With a slice of social graces too. No desire for your fame, but able to handle the attention that surrounds you. A bit of a tall order." He shook his head.

"And thus, my lack of social life." she groaned. She closed her eyes as collapsed back onto the couch, hands gripping her head.

"You never answered. How would they have to approach you?"

She pried her eyes open to stare at the ceiling, lost in thought. "Flowers are ok I guess. They die within a few days though. Not exactly a great message for a relationship, is it?" Her chocolate orbs fell to meet his, before dropping to her teacup. "Jewels,… jewels are a bit much don't you think?" Her eyes met his again as her voice rose with passion. "Something expensive comes with the weight of expectation. If you cut the date short, don't have a second, or don't put out it's like you're breaking an agreement made by accepting it. If you accept it and do have sex, it's like being paid like a whore. If you don't accept it, you're being gauche."

He inwardly smirked at her naivety. There was power to be gained by displaying trinkets of amours. It often started a feeding frenzy for the more eligible witches and a betting war at the tables. Entire fortunes had been made and lost on the whims of a courtship. "It's traditional to return jewellery received during a courtship to the giver if the courtship is terminated. Only mistresses retain them." He responded.

She leaned forward, waving her hand in irritation. "But that's almost worse. First starting with heavy expectations, then returning everything like it never happened."

They sipped tea in companionable silence before he broke it to ask "So what of chocolate than?"

"Chocolate is every female's weakness. It can calm the nerves, it takes away pain, it restores order into life. Chocolate is a miracle." She sighed, relaxing back into the couch.

"So like a male, the way to your heart is through your stomach. You just have a particular elixir required." His mercurial eyes met hers. She could sense his amusement more than see it.

"It would seem so." She responded. Her face flushed as she held his gaze, before turning away.

"So have none of these suitors been intelligent enough to offer you chocolate?"

She confessed with a hint of red in her cheeks "I haven't eaten any of it."

Surprised, he asked "Why ever not?"

"Harry was once sent a box of chocolate by an admirer. Romilda Vane. Ron ate them instead. He went completely bonkers until Professor Slughorn gave him the antidote. I don't trust packages from people I don't know."

"Seems to be a wise policy." His eyes unfocused, as he lost himself in thought.


	6. Chapter 6 Unexpected Aid

Ch 6 A/N

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. All characters belong to JK Rowling; their abuse in this plot bunny is entirely my fault.

Please review. I adore feedback.

Still looking for a beta…(hint, hint)

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><p>When Lucius wandered into the room, Ginny drew her wand. "Sit where I can see you."<p>

"As you wish. Anywhere in particular?"

"Somewhere your hands are visible. There, by the fire."

"Ginny, he's not going to do anything. He doesn't have a wand."

"You mean he just hasn't done anything yet. Or not that you know of." Ginny glared at Lucius. "I remember everything you've done to my family and friends. You're lucky they let you out of Azkaban. I would have given you the kiss."

"I am fortunate then that others were more empathic to my situation then."

"You brought it on yourself."

"I had little choice."

"Don't start. You're a pathetic excuse for a human being." Ginny spat. "I'm glad your name is forever tainted. Nobody will ever want to be a Malfoy; your family name will die as soon as you do. Good riddance." Hermione caught the flash of pain that crossed his face as Ginny casually dismissed his family's deaths. Ginny spun to face Hermione, her wand still pointed generally at Lucius. "Can't you get rid of him?"

"Ginny, please…"

"No Hermione, I won't stay here."

"It's ok, I can go elsewhere." Lucius said.

"Fine. Let me see if Colin can help." Turning to Lucius, she asked "If you could come with me…?" She brought Lucius to where Colin was clearing the dungeons.

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><p>"Colin, are you down here?" Hermione called out.<p>

He poked his head into the hallway and replied. "Back here in the last dungeon."

Hermione spun on the stairs. She overbalanced, and started to swing her arms. Lucius stepped towards her, grabbing on to her waist, preventing her from falling down the stairs. Her breath caught, as her eyes flew to his face. His silver orbs locked with hers and the world vanished.

Thump.

Thump.

Her heart restarted as his eyes dropped his gaze. She bit her bottom lip as he slowly straightened, releasing his hold.

"Thank you" she breathed.

His eyebrow quirked upwards as he whispered "My pleasure." His eyes traveled down her form before returning to meet hers. "We can't have you falling before me, can we?"

Colin frowned at the incident.

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><p>"How are you? Do you get any time away from the snake?" Ginny asked.<p>

"I'm ok. You know how it is. 'You don't have children or a husband. You don't have anything better to do, do you?'". She rolled her eyes. "Just because I'm an Auror, by THEIR choice, and fresh out of school, they believe we don't need time off."

Ginny said. "I don't envy you having to stay here. I just have to deal with paperwork. I couldn't handle living with a death eater."

"It could be worse."

"How?"

"Mr. Malfoy has been ok. Pleasant even." She smiled at the memory of him catching her. "Much nicer than Draco ever was."

"He's a snake Hermione. The only reason to be nice is to hypnotize you before striking."

Hermione laughed.

"At least you're in your happy place. Having this library to play in must be a dream."

"I know right. I mean I heard all about this library from Madam Pearce when she heard I was coming here. It has books she'd kill to have in her collection."

"Have you found anything more about the thirst curse?"

"No, it's so frustrating. Even with all these extra books, there's only a few references in the books.

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><p>Colin approached her as she was getting tea, stating "Hermione, I believe we should talk. Alone."<p>

"Ok." She responded. She followed him into the hall.

"What was happening this morning?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" She was puzzled, thinking over the events of the morning. Was he upset that she asked him to babysit Malfoy during Ginny's visit?

"Mr. Malfoy. He had his arms around you." He said, his voice laced with suspicion. "I was given to understand that you were immune from the 'Malfoy' charm. That you spent years at loggerheads with Draco, and fought every time you met Lucius."

Her expression cleared. "He just caught me from falling down the stairs this morning."

"And that's it?" he didn't want to drop it.

"Yes, Draco and I fought nearly every day." What was he getting at?

His tone worried, he continued "Lucius is not your friend Hermione. He's a prisoner. You can't ever let your guard down around him."

"I know, Mad-eye always said 'constant vigilance'." She grinned up at him.

Colin put his hand on her shoulder. "That's right." He paused, thinking how to phrase his next request. "What I saw this morning, he's trying to manipulate you. I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want to have to replace you." He worked too long as an Auror not to question everything he saw. She was too young, too naïve, too female to be given the job of watching Lucius.

"What has he to gain?" she inquired.

His concern evident in his voice, he informed her "I don't know yet. Watch what he is doing, ok? Don't change your behaviour; just keep me in the loop of what he's doing. Give him enough rope to hang himself." He hoped she really was as clever as everyone said she was. "We'll talk about this again, right."

"Ok." She finished making herself some tea.

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><p>Hermione was thinking in the library about her conversation with Colin. She had never been affected by either Malfoy male; any physical attraction was overshadowed by her repugnance of their actions and vitriol. Was she immune from their charm? They had never tried. Draco had a fan club and a reputation of conquests that transcended house boundaries at Hogwarts. How did Lucius compare? He was more complicated than Draco. He was more subtle. He was more fascinating…wait, fascinating? Yes, that was the word.<p>

She glanced to where he was reading the paper. For someone who believed in pureblood supremacy, he didn't act like it now. He didn't talk like it either. If it wasn't for the dark mark, and having faced him in the past, she wouldn't have guessed his previous beliefs. Had they changed?

She studied him. His long silky hair curtained the breadth of his shoulders. His slate grey irises reflected the charcoal smudges under his eyes. His robe hung loosely about his body, attesting to his recent loss of indulgent weight. He licked his finger, before sliding his right hand down the paper, his long fingers slipping between the pages. What would he be like if he turned on the charm?

Lost in thought, she didn't notice Lucius glance up and catch her stare.

He noticed her features had settled into an adult face. Her hair was pulled back into a thick ponytail, with curls escaping to caress her jaw. Her bottom lip was puffed and pouty from her habit of nervous biting. Her nails were trimmed practically short, her hands dainty and smudged with ink.

She had been responsive to him earlier, with an innocence he wasn't used to.

He inwardly grinned, deciding on an experiment. He set down the paper, and took a meandering route to select a few books on potions. He set them on one end of the U-shaped desk. "If the Ministry approves, I would like to re-read these books."

"Of course, let me add them to the parchment." She turned to glance up at him, slipping her finger behind her ear to trap her escaped curls. She reached for the sheet of parchment tracking his reading habits.

With her back turned, he leaned forward and knocked a book she was referencing to the floor. Startled, she jumped back into the desk, drawing her wand.

He held his hands up, apologizing "I'm sorry, I disturbed your book. Allow me." He bent to pick it up, rising into her personal space. "I don't think your wand will be necessary to get the book back, do you?" he said quietly, gesturing to her wand.

She slowly put it away.

He held her eyes hostage. "Am I truly that frightening still?" he asked.

She bit her lip. "Sometimes, yes."

"What can I do to assure you of my good intentions?" he leaned forward, stroking her mutinous curls back behind her ear. His fingers twirled the soft hairs as a vanilla scent hit his nose. His nostrils flared, breathing in the delicate fragrance. His eyes darkened, and his expression softened.

She stiffened, uneasy with his closeness.

"I don't mean to frighten you. That was never my intention." He said as he backed away and gently laid the book back on the desk. He caressed the front cover of the book. "Do you know what page this was on?"

She shook her head mutely.

"What was the topic?" he asked.

Her voice dropped with her eyes. "I was researching 'Infinitus sitis'. That was on plants that cause dehydration." She responded.

He was surprised. "You're researching into my family's curse?"

She hesitated. Her eyes glanced into his. "Yes."

"Why are doing this?" he inquired. While he didn't think she would be celebrating their deaths, he didn't believe anyone else cared. His eyes searched the depths of her gaze.

"Nobody should have to die like they did." She said quietly.

He contemplated what he knew about her. "Were you the one that found which curse was used?" he guessed.

"Yes." She blushed. "It bugged me that they both died. The Ministry promised them protection, and we failed." Hermione said, sorrow evident in her voice. "I don't believe in coincidences."

"Neither do I." Lucius ground out between clenched teeth. He thought for a moment. "Would you allow me to review your choice of reading material? I'm very familiar with the family collection, and can suggest other avenues of investigation."

"Thank you."

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><p>AN Thank you for all the reviews, for following and adding my story to your favorites. I don't like to respond to reviewers within the story body; it throws off the word count. Check your inboxes for answers to questions. I don't want to give the game away to everyone. ;-)


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